There was a new female cheetah in the area who had two cubs in great condition. We located her for the first time as she was hunting close to Honeymoon Pan and we were able to see her successfully kill an impala. Two days later we found her again and once more she brought down an impala in front of the vehicle. She appeared to be a very skilful hunter. The two cheetah males in the area seemed to be doing well and managing to actively avoid all the lions. One of them seemed a very active hunter who was specialising on warthogs, though on one occasion we watched him being driven off ferociously by a sow protecting her piglets. Another time, we had a wonderful sighting where he was rolling over and over on the same area of a termite mound.
The number of lions in the Kwara concession appeared to be growing and two big new males were actively patrolling and marking the eastern area from Splash, all the way to the Kwara airstrip. The two brothers have formed a coalition and were very vocal when separated from each other – to the delight of our guests who were thrilled with the spine-tingling experience of having lions roaring very close to the game drive vehicle. The new males were seen mating with two lionesses so hopefully they will be successful in holding onto their territory for the arrival of the cubs.
A pride of three lionesses in the 4 Rivers area with their five cubs was doing well. We followed them hunting and watched them kill a warthog, on another occasion they came close to pulling down a wildebeest in front of the vehicle, but just missed. One time we were watching them interacting and grooming each other, with one of the Zulu Boys a short distance away keeping an eye on his females. Whilst we were still watching the lions, we saw some impalas springing out of the bush pursued by a pack of 8 wild dogs. We quickly drove around to follow them and saw that they had managed to kill one of the impala and were busy feeding. Very soon afterwards jackals, hyenas and vultures arrived seeking their opportunity to scavenge. There’s never a dull moment at Kwara!
The pack of 8 wild dogs were seen hunting often, although sometimes the long grasses seemed to be impeding their ability to pursue their prey. Nevertheless, we found them on successful kills including a young kudu and a common reedbuck.
There was a new female cheetah in the area who had two cubs in great condition. We located her for the first time as she was hunting close to Honeymoon Pan and we were able to see her successfully kill an impala. Two days later we found her again and once more she brought down an impala in front of the vehicle. She appeared to be a very skilful hunter. The two cheetah males in the area seemed to be doing well and managing to actively avoid all the lions. One of them seemed a very active hunter who was specialising on warthogs, though on one occasion we watched him being driven off ferociously by a sow protecting her piglets. Another time, we had a wonderful sighting where he was rolling over and over on the same area of a termite mound.
The female leopard who lost her cub earlier this year was still in the area. One day she was spotted moving through long grass, almost invisibly due to her camouflage, but then obligingly climbed up a tree where guests were able to get some great photos. On the western side of the concession there was a new female leopard. At one stage she had killed an impala and could be seen feeding on the carcass up a tree for three consecutive days. There was also a new male leopard who was beautifully relaxed. One day jackal alarm calls alerted us to the presence of a large predator and we discovered the tom holding a male impala’s neck in the act of suffocating it. Another time, we found him on the kill of a waterbuck calf.
The cooler, rainy weather during February was favoured by the hyenas who were active patrolling during the day. A giraffe carcass in the north east of the concession which appeared to have been killed by the two new male lions was a particularly favoured meal. This large carcass also attracted side-striped and back-backed jackals.
Large herds of elephants were still in the area and guests enjoyed watching them browse and mud-bathe. As the water levels dropped at the start of the month, the hippos changed their feeding habits and were noticeably more aggressive in protecting their territory. No doubt they welcomed the heavy deluges of rain that finally appeared as the month progressed.
Three species of vultures were regularly seen – lappet-faced, hooded and white-backed – true wilderness areas such as the Kwara concession are becoming increasingly vital for the safe future of these endangered birds. The heronry was still active and a highlight for guests during the boat cruises.
(Note: Accompanying picture is from our Kwando Photo Library which consists of all your great photo submissions over the years, it may not be the most up to date, but we felt it was worthy of a feature alongside this month’s Sightings Report!)
